Priebus blasts Trump debate

RNC chairman Reince Priebus, who has been pretty quiet about the Donald Trump bubble throughout the primary cycle, is drawing the line at the NewsMax-sponsored debate, via POLITICO's MJ Lee:

“We appreciate what Mr. Trump has done, but if you’re still talking about potentially running as an independent candidate, I think that’s a problem,” Priebus said on Fox News. “I think that would be malpractice for me as an RNC chairman to not believe that that is an issue.”

(snip)

“I think that having a successful businessman serving as a moderator has a lot of value. But, the issue here is whether the moderator should still be a person who’s still batting around the idea of running as an independent. I think that should give some of these candidates some concern,” he said.

This comment may give air cover to Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, who are still weighing what to do, to say no.